CHAPTER 10
1089 Words
Juliana.
The next morning, I was up before sunrise, nerves buzzing under my skin.
I half expected Alexander to change his mind, to decide that indulging me wasn’t worth the trouble.
Maybe he’d tell me I was better off inside, that I was safer under his control.
But when I stepped downstairs, he was already waiting by the front door, dressed in dark slacks and a fitted black shirt, looking infuriatingly composed.
“Ready?” he asked, like this was just another ordinary day.
I narrowed my eyes. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see”
I hated when he did that, when he left me hanging, knowing I had no choice but to follow. But arguing would get me nowhere, so I bit my tongue and walked past him, stepping out into the cool morning air.
The first breath of freedom in a week.
Except, of course, it wasn’t real freedom.
A sleek black car was already waiting, a man I recognized from the house standing beside it. A guard.
Of course.
Alexander opened the door, gesturing for me to get in. I hesitated.
He arched a brow. “Having second thoughts?
I glared at him and slid inside.
The leather seats were cool against my skin as I crossed my arms and stared out the window.
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The city blurred past as we drove, but I couldn’t enjoy it, not with Alexander sitting next to me, radiating control and quiet amusement.
“You’re sulking” he observed.
I scoffed. “So you know what sulking it?”
After a bit said, “I’m thinking”
“About?”
“Why you agreed to this”
He hummed, but didn’t answer.
Typical.
The car eventually pulled up to a building that didn’t look like much, dark windows, high walls, security cameras tucked discreetly in the corners.
Everything about it screamed secrecy.
I frowned. “What is this?”
“My workplace” Alexander said simply, stepping out of the car.
That wasn’t an answer.
I followed him inside, my eyes darting around as we walked through the pristine hallways.
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The air was thick with authority.
Men in suits moved with precision, their conversations hushed but purposeful. Some nodded respectfully to Alexander as we passed, but he barely acknowledged them, as if their respect was expected, not earned.
Like he owned this place.
Like he owned them.
I swallowed hard.
Something about the way they looked at him sent a chill down my spine.
They weren’t just following orders.
They feared him.
And yet, despite knowing who he was, what he was, I still followed.
“Come” he said, leading me down a long corridor. “There’s something I want to show you”
I hesitated before stepping through the door he held open.
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The moment I stepped inside, the scent of gunpowder and metal hit me.
A shooting range.
I blinked, taking in the dimly lit space. Rows of targets. Gun racks lining the walls. The faint sound of distant shots, muffled by the thick concrete walls.
I turned to him. “You’ve got to be kidding me”
His lips twitched. “You wanted to do something new”
I folded my arms. “And you think handing me a gun is a good idea?”
“Not just any gun” He stepped behind a nearby table, picking up a sleek black pistol and weighing it in his palm before holding it out to me.
I stared at it.
“You’re serious?”
“Always”
I hesitated before reaching for it, the cold metal heavier than I expected.
The weight of it settled in my hands like a decision I wasn’t ready to make.
Alexander stepped behind me, his presence a solid wall of heat. “You ever held one before?”
I swallowed hard. “No”
His hands settled lightly on my arms, guiding me into position.
“Feet shoulder-width apart” he instructed, his voice low against my ear.
“Steady grip. Don’t fight the recoil”
I tried to focus on his words.
Tried to focus on anything other than the way he felt behind me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin.
Not when his scent wrapped around me, clean, sharp, undeniably male.
Not when every inch of my body was suddenly hyper-aware of him.
“Relax” he murmured.
Easy for him to say.
I took a slow breath, lifting the gun, trying to ignore the way my pulse hammered beneath my skin.
Alexander’s hands slid down my arms, adjusting my stance. My stomach flipped.
“Now” he said, his voice lower, rougher. “Pull the trigger”
I did.
The shot rang out, the force jolting through my arms. The sound echoed, sharp and final.
I barely registered whether I hit the target, I was too busy trying to steady my breathing.
Alexander’s hands lingered on me for a moment too long.
I turned my head slightly, catching the way his eyes darkened as he looked at me.
Something passed between us then, something thick and electric, something dangerous.
I wasn’t sure who moved first.
Maybe I turned toward him.
Maybe he leaned in.
But suddenly, his breath was warm against my skin, and I was too close, and I wasn’t pulling away.
I should have.
I didn’t.
The air between us crackled.
His eyes dropped to my lips for just a second, so quick I almost missed it, but my breath still caught in my throat.
I hated him.
Didn’t I?
I had spent so long hating him, resenting him for taking away my freedom, for trapping me in his world.
But in that moment, I wasn’t sure if it was hate at all.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to take a step back.
Alexander didn’t move.
His gaze never left mine.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then, just as smoothly as always, he reached past me and took the gun from my hands.
“You did well” he said, his voice unreadable.
I let out a shaky breath, my heart still racing.
I had expected a fight when I asked him to take me out.
I had expected danger.
I hadn’t expected this.
I hadn’t expected him.
And as I followed him out of the shooting range, my thoughts spinning, my skin still burning from his touch, I realized something terrifying.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to fight him anymore.
- Writer
